Individuals

As a fiduciary, we work closely with our clients to fully understand their financial circumstances, outline a plan of action, and implement an on-going investment program to work towards achieving financial goals. We take the time to answer questions and explain investments thoroughly to ensure the client is comfortable with the path forward. Woodmont has a long and proud history of serving individuals.

Some common circumstances where we may be engaged:

A Professional looking for assistance in planning for retirement and children’s education

Please see the case studies below for greater detail of how we assist our individual clients.

CASE STUDIES

Doctor Saving for Retirement

A local physician and his wife in their mid-50s were looking for someone to assist them developing a financial plan and helping to save for their children's college education and their ultimate retirement. Having a number of friends who were 'financial advisors,' they interviewed a couple of advisors at the Wall Street brokerage firms, as well as at their local bank.

Introduced to Woodmont through the attorney who assisted them in developing their estate plan, they were attracted by our client-first, fiduciary model and boutique client service feel. We worked with the couple to assess their current financial status, articulate their financial goals and risk tolerance, and implement an investment program. Through our regular conversations and on-going meetings, the couple is on track to reaching their retirement goals.

Transitioning After The Death Of A Spouse

A widow in her 70’s contacted Woodmont and asked for an evaluation of her investment accounts after reviewing her estate plan with her attorney. We discovered her investments were not consistent with her conservative risk profile and her desire to provide tuition for her three grandchildren who would be attending college in the next few years. Specifically, she had an aggressive asset allocation that included a large weighting in emerging market mutual funds and risky small-capitalization stocks. Both of these positions generated large amounts of income for the brokerage firm managing her money because of the funds’ high sales charges and ongoing 12b-1 expenses.

After a portfolio review and understanding that Woodmont never receives income from sales charges or 12b-1 expenses, we were retained and implemented a rebalancing effort and income-focused investment strategy. We purchased high-quality individual bonds, low-cost and broadly diversified exchange traded funds (ETFs) and blue chip equities with attractive dividends, pursuant to our client’s plans. She was able to increase the performance of her portfolio, increase the income received from her investment assets, and greatly reduce the expenses that were diminishing her investable wealth.

Investing a Divorce Settlement

A recently divorced woman, “Allison,” in her 50’s, with two college-aged children, contacted Woodmont after a referral from her attorney. Following a meeting to understand her plans for the future and reviewing details of the settlement with her attorney, it was clear that the assets included in the settlement would need to be reinvested to both increase liquidity and reduce risk.

Understanding Allison’s situation, we completed a detailed financial plan outlining her existing assets, liabilities, income requirements, and evolving risk tolerance in order to create a formal investment policy for her assets. After establishing her account, Allison utilized Woodmont’s online access and portfolio reporting to monitor the diversification and rebalancing of the settlement assets while staying in constant contact with her investment team.

Allison now enjoys receiving monthly income from her investments which is electronically deposited in the checking account of her choosing at no cost and meets with the Woodmont team quarterly to review her investments against her established investment policy. Partnering with Woodmont gave Allison confidence that her investments were generating the necessary income while preserving her assets.